Henry Thomas Harrison

Henry Thomas Harrison (April 23, 1832 – October 28, 1923), often known simply as "Harrison", was a spy for Confederate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet during the American Civil War. He is best known for the information he gave Longstreet and Gen. Robert E. Lee in the Gettysburg Campaign, which results in Lee converging on Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, thus causing the Battle of Gettysburg.

Harrison was born in Nashville, Tennessee on April 23, 1832. He was an actor who did not get many large parts due to his small stature. He did not go to any school. At age 29, at the start of the Civil War in spring 1861, Harrison joined the Mississippi State Militia as a private.

In November 1861, Harrison was discharged from the Militia and eventually became a spy for CSA Secretary of War, James Seddon. In April 1863, Harrison met Lieutenant General James Longstreet of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during the Battle of Suffolk. From that point on, Harrison provided information for Longstreet, which usually proved to be reliable. Also, to maintain the loyalty of his prized spy, Longstreet frequently paid Harrison in U.S. gold coins and/or greenbacks.

On the night of June 28, Harrison accurately reported to Longstreet that the Union had moved into Frederick, Maryland, and was moving northward, as well as the fact that Major General Joseph Hooker had been replaced as commander of the United States Army of the Potomac by Major General George G. Meade. Harrison reported his information to General Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Confederate army. Lee had never heard of Harrison before, yet he came compliments of Longstreet. In addition, Longstreet's chief of staff, Moxley Sorrel, said that Harrison "always brought true information." In the end, Harrison's information was plausible enough for Lee to halt his entire army. As a result of Harrison's information, Lee told all of his troops to concentrate in the vicinity of Cashtown, Pennsylvania, eight miles from Gettysburg, thereby triggering the events that led to the Battle of Gettysburg. Lee said after hearing the news from Harrison, "A battle thus became, in a measure, unavoidable."

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